Screen eminence Richard Harris, who reached a new generation of moviegoers in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," is said to be battling cancer.

The 72-year-old Irish-born actor is undergoing chemotherapy at a private clinic in London, according to British press reports.

Harris was admitted to University College Hospital in August, when he was reported to have been suffering from a chest infection. A stand-in was required to complete some scenes in his new film, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," which opens Nov. 15.

Now some are wondering whether he'll be well enough to start shooting "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" in January.

Reps for Harris and Warner Bros. were unable to comment on Harris' condition.

Back when he came to fame in "A Man Called Horse" and "The Guns of Navarone," Harris was part of a legendary pub-crawling trio with Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton.

In 1978, he overdosed on cocaine, but recovered, saying later, "I would rather die of a heart attack on some beautiful blonde or from alcohol."

He has been sober for the last 13 years.

We did spot him smoking at the premiere of "The Sorcerer's Stone," though he took care to hide his cigarette from children. Let's hope he returns for another term at the Hogwarts school.

Seagal under siege?

A former personal assistant to Steven Seagal is being "intimidated and harassed" by a private investigator working for two brothers who are charged with using mob muscle to shake down the movie action star.

Federal prosecutors claim that Julius Nasso, a former Seagal partner on the films "Under Siege" and "Hard to Kill," and his brother Vincent are trying to line up witnesses against the actor who will "testify to supposed bad character and vile conduct," Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Genser and Katya Jestin wrote in a letter to Brooklyn Federal Judge Frederic Block.

As part of that strategy, a private eye working for the Nassos has twice showed up unannounced at the ex-personal assistant's home, tailed his auto, served him with a bogus subpoena and threatened him, according to the letter.

"This could get ugly," the witness was warned, according to prosecutors.

The feds want the judge to schedule a hearing on their allegations, but Vincent Nasso's lawyer, Barry Levin, called the charges "nonsense."

"This is a material witness who was present at the times the alleged extortion attempts took place," Levin told the New York Daily News' John Marzulli.

Levin added that the ex-employee contacted them but now is apparently backing off because he is bound by a confidentiality agreement with Seagal.

The Nassos and reputed Gambino crime captain Anthony (Sonny) Ciccone are charged in a plot to extort $150,000 per film from Seagal.

Campbell's gamble

Three Court of Appeals judges recently ruled against Naomi Campbell in million-dollar lawsuit with London's Mirror.Associated Press PhotoBetter stay out of Naomi Campbell's way this week. Three Court of Appeals judges ruled against the super-model in a million-dollar lawsuit with London's Mirror, which she says violated her privacy by publishing photographs of her leaving a Narcotics Anonymous meeting in February 2001.

Campbell initially won her case against the newspaper in Britain's High Court, scoring $5,425 in damages and a reported $310,000 in legal costs.

The Court of Appeals turnaround means her total liability could leap to an estimated $1.1 million.

Lord Phillips, the senior judge, said that the Mirror was justified in publishing the photos because Campbell had previously denied taking drugs. "This was untrue. She had, in fact, become addicted to drugs," he said.

Campbell, 32, responded in a statement after the ruling: "I do not think it so terrible or extraordinary to want to keep private the fact that you have problems and are seeking treatment."

Candid cameras

The success of MTV's "The Osbournes" is spawning more voyeur-vision concepts.

Talent manager Larry Thompson tells us he's working with Sony Pictures Television on a show called "Celebrity Home Videos"  in which stars would spy on themselves.

"We've seen Ozzy and Anna Nicole Smith," says Thompson. "Who's the next celebrity? We think it's all of them!"

Thompson has started handing out top-of-the-line digital cameras to Coolio, William Shatner, Mike Myers and "other people who have a sense of humor." He thinks some of the funniest episodes will be when celebs turn their cameras on paparazzi, as John Kennedy Jr. once did.

Thompson sees celebrities as offering redemption for everyone. He's also pitching a self-help book titled "How to Be a Star in Your Own Life."

"Whether you're a waiter, a veterinarian or schoolteacher, there's a star in every workplace," says Thompson.

And if they get obnoxious enough, even they may have their own reality show.

Side dishes

Frank Sinatra Jr. sang out in defense of "The Sopranos" on New York radio, saying Italian-Americans would have "no problem" had Robert De Niro or Al Pacino had been invited to the Columbus Day Parade. "The Sopranos are such great actors, New York thinks they're for real," joked Ol' Blue Eyes' blue-eyed boy.